Visions
by Riva
Summary: A young girl who "sees" too much enters the lives of Mulder and Scully. (written in 1998)
1. Default Chapter

*******************************  
  
Title: "Visions" part 1  
  
Author: Riva  
  
Category: S, maybe X, light MSR  
  
Summery: A young girl who *sees* too much enters the lives of Mulder and  
Scully.  
  
E-mail: rogueangel10@juno.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: We've all heard this enough times, so instead of my usually  
long and witty disclaimer, I'll keep this one short:  
Don't own 'em. Never have. Never will. No money. Don't sue.  
HOWEVER, Troi Anne Carter DOES belong to me, and you are welcome to use  
her,in fact, I would be honored if you do. BUT PLEASE, consult me FIRST!!  
  
Archive: Yes. Just tell me first, and keep my name attached.  
  
Dedication:   
This story is dedicated to two of my best friends, and possibly the only  
people who can yell at me loud enough to actually make me get something  
done.  
Alien Girl and Aimee, this is for you.  
PS. to Alien Girl: Well, here it is. Done at last! Now just don't have a  
heart attack!!  
  
Author's Notes:  
This is definitely a post movie story, and post-season six story, even  
though we don't know what all's going to happen in season six. So barring  
all  
COMPLETELY life-altering events in season six, this story comes after it.  
IMPORTANT! If you are looking for the prequel to Alien Girl and I's  
"Accumulation" Series, you've come to the right place!!! Enjoy!!  
  
AND NOW [deep breath exhaled] THAT'S ALL OVER AND DONE WITH......  
  
RIVA STAR PRODUCTIONS presents:  
  
-----------------------------------------------------  
---------- T H E X - F I L E S -----------  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Visions" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
-----------------------------------------------------  
  
  
2:00 AM  
MacGregor Home for Girls  
Washington DC.   
  
In room 25 of the MacGregor Home for Girls, a 15 year old girl shivered  
convulsively in her sleep. But it was not from the cool night's breeze  
that came through the window.   
Nor was it from lack of covering. There was a large, warm, "charity"  
quilt pulled up to her chest. Her roommates with identical blankets all  
slept soundly.   
The girl shivered again and tossed fitfully back and forth as if  
struggling, a few strands of her short, dark hair falling across her pale  
face. She mumbled something as if trying to talk, but drowning on her own  
words.   
Had the other girls been awake, they would have made no attempt to wake  
her, no attempt to soothe her troubled tossing. They simply would've  
muttered a few rude words, ["What a freak"], or perhaps,["Not again"].  
They were used to the girl and her nocturnal activities. Her fitful sleep  
didn't surprise them. In fact, it happened often enough that they were  
annoyed by it.   
It was just another night in room 25. Troublemaker Carla had snuck out  
as usual. The new girl, Gaby, had cried herself to sleep.   
And Troi Anne Carter was dreaming again.   
  
  
8:00 AM   
  
Morning had come to the MacGregor Home for Girls.   
Rays of sunlight shafted through the cool morning air, slanting across the girl who just  
hours before had been tossing from the dream that plagued her. The warm  
rays lit the highlights in the girl's otherwise dark hair, and  
illuminated beads of sweat dotted across her delicate-looking face.  
Her breath came slow and rhythmic, a far cry from the shallow panting  
she had gasped the night before.  
"Troi!"  
The girl blinked twice, slowly waking and sat up on her elbows. "Yeah?"  
Her voice was sleepy and slurred.  
A tall, firm-looking woman marched up to the bed. "Get up," The woman  
told her. "It's 8:00 already, young lady."  
Troi swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Oh. I-I'm sorry...." She  
trailed off, thin hands coming up to press against her forehead and rub  
her temples.   
"Troi Anne," The woman looked at her with concern."Is something wrong?"   
"I had another dream, Ms. Malone," The young teen's voice sounded hollow  
and very alone. "They're getting worse."   
"Oh, Troi." Ms. Malone masked a look of irritation and quickly replaced  
it with one of benevolent concern. "You know those dreams mean nothing.  
We've discussed this before. They are only inventions of your  
sub-conscious.  
Nothing more. You don't have to worry about them," Ms. Malone attempted a  
cheerful laugh, "and they certainly won't come true!"  
The young girl looked up at the social worker with hooded, angry eyes.  
That's what Ms. Malone always said. But Troi knew better. She knew what  
she saw, what her dreams told her. And she knew what always happened  
afterward.  
"Now go help the other girls in the kitchen, 'K?" Ms. Malone stood up  
and ruffled the girl's hair, attempting to be affectionate, but the touch  
was still oddly impersonal. "And no more of this dream business."  
Troi obediently dressed and left the room to walk down and take her  
place beside the other girls in the kitchen who had KP this week.  
Troi walked in and picked up a dish rag, hefting a large platter and  
began to dry. Julia, a ten year old with curly black hair waltzed past  
Troi with a stack of smaller plates, humming the words to some sappy "top  
ten" pop song about how the singer's dreams would all come true.  
Troi squeezed her eyes shut and bit a trembling lip. She always hated  
songs like that. She didn't see what was so great about dreams coming  
true. Nearly all of Troi's dreams came true. And they were never anything  
to sing about.  
Troi pressed her eyes shut tighter in a vain effort to banish the  
horrific images that danced before her mind's eye.   
  
///The young storekeeper [she had just met him a few days ago hadn't  
she?] just closing up for the night. Gang members waiting. Watching.  
Coming... NO! Beating him. The storekeeper falling to the ground, his  
blood pooling around him in a ever-spreading circle.\\\   
  
A lone tear dropped from her shut eyes. James, -that was the storekeeper  
name, she remembered now- would never know what was coming. Would never  
know because she couldn't tell him. They never let her tell anyone.  
But then the vision of the man's little girl came back to her. That sad  
little face at her daddy's funeral. Not understanding. Uncomprehending.  
To lose a parent so young.... It was a pain Troi knew all about.  
Troi suddenly slapped down the platter in determination, a fierce look   
lighting her brown-blue eyes.   
They may not let her warn the man, but they couldn't stop her from trying.  
  
  
6:00 AM, the next day  
Dana Scully's apartment  
Washington, DC  
  
"Scully...Scully..." Mulder's voice called echoingly.  
Dana Scully opened her eyes slowly, not wanting to awaken. Mulder stood  
near the bed, leaning over her.  
"Mulder...go awa-" she started sleepily. Then suddenly she jolted awake.  
"Mulder, what the heck are you doing here!!" she yelled, sitting up  
quickly and clutching for her alarm clock.  
"I let myself in." He answered innocently, handing her the clock as if  
this was all a commonplace occurrence.   
"You did WHA- Why??" She demanded angrily, snatching the alarm from him.  
He didn't answer, but instead picked up the plate on her bedstead,  
littered with the remains of three chocolate chip cookies. "You know,  
eating chocolate before bed will make you cranky."  
Scully simply sat there and glared, her mussed red hair falling forward  
to hang in her face.  
Mulder grinned devilishly and reached over to tuck the wayward strands  
behind her ear, running his fingers down the line of her chin.  
Scully's stomach clenched, and she turned away before he could see the  
effect his touch had on her. She swung her legs over the side of the bed,  
and reached down to tug on house slippers and draped her housecoat around  
her.   
Mulder had been doing things like that lately. And it unnerved  
Scully to no end. It was just little things, a touch, a comment, all  
seemingly innocent, and Scully didn't think he even knew what they did to  
her. And she wasn't about to tell him either. Not now. She could think of  
a thousand reasons not to. But in reality it all boiled down to one fact. She was  
afraid.   
So she took a deep breath and ignored her racing pulse and wandering  
mind.  
"So honestly Mulder," she said, standing up and turning to face him.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Honestly?"  
"Honestly."  
"Something interesting happened at a little  
convenience store yesterday, something I think we should look into."  
"And you had to wake me up at 6:00 in the morning to tell me that?"  
"Well, I'm not sure how long the police will hold the girl."  
"What girl?" Scully asked, a confused look on her face.  
"Get dressed, Scully." Mulder's lip twitched in a half-smile as he  
looked her up and down, and then headed for the door. "I'll explain on  
the way."  
  
  
  
6:50 AM  
Questioning Room 5  
Washington DC Police Department  
  
Troi Anne Carter paced the DC Police Department questioning room  
nervously. The pit of her stomach hurt with anxiety and near-panic.   
\Why am I here?\ she thought for the umpteenth time. \I haven't done  
anything wrong.\ But they hadn't believed her. No one ever believed her  
about anything. Despair filled her emotions and she felt like crying. But  
she pulled in a deep breath and pushed the tears back, stopping to grip   
the back of a chair with her thin, long fingered hands.  
She knew it had been a bad idea. Common sense had told her not to do it.  
Common sense had told her it was stupid to play hooky from school to try  
and stop a robbery and murder at a convenience store.   
\And if I'd 'have listened to by common sense instead of my blasted  
conscious, I wouldn't be here.\  
But every time she began to think that way, images from her dream came  
back to haunt her, and that little girl's face told her she would do it  
all over again in a heartbeat. The tiny girl would have lost her daddy,  
but thanks to Troi, would now only be visiting him in the hospital for  
awhile.  
When the police had arrived on the scene, they immediately arrested -or  
"put into protective custody"- everyone on the scene, questioning  
everyone, and then one by one releasing them.  
All but Troi.  
They were suspicious of her, she knew. They wanted to know exactly how  
she knew the convenience store was the target of a robbery. But when they  
asked her that, Troi had immediately clammed up. She's wasn't about to  
tell a bunch of cops that she had known because of a dream.  
They had continued to question her, even after she had turned into an  
unanswering block of ice, until another cop had come in with a call for  
the questioner. Then they had left, telling her to wait where she was.  
\Not that I have much choice.\ she thought  
Angry tears threatened to spill over once again. Troi bit her lip and  
choked it back.  
Just then, the blank door ahead of her gave a soft click and opened  
silently. The guard entered the room -Troi glowered at him. The guard  
held the door open for a tall, dark haired man, followed closely by a  
woman with sunset red hair and a tired expression.  
"Troi, I want you to meet someone." The guard said. Troi scowled. She  
hated it how they used her first name with that condescending air. Like  
they were trying to be her friend. Her lip curled downward. She had  
already decided not cooperate with these people, whoever they were. They were  
probably some stupid crime psychology people who wanted to pick apart her  
brain and twist it around to be whatever they wanted it to be.   
Troi sat down icily in her chair, and swiveled it to face the wall,  
carefully putting on her mask of stone.  
Behind her, Troi heard the guard sighed with exasperation. "She's all  
yours." He muttered. He crossed through the door, and it snapped shut.  
"You don't like that he calls you by your first name, do you?" The man's  
voice said from behind her.   
Troi's eyes widened, momentarily breaking the mask. How had he known  
that?  
"That's okay," The man's voice continued. "I prefer my last name myself.  
You want me call you Ms. Carter, or just Carter?"  
Though it went against every resolve she had made since arriving at the  
Police Station, Troi was drawn to turn around. She looked over the man,  
studying him closely. His hair was short and the same black-brown she had  
observed earlier. He was slightly lanky, with long-fingered hands that  
rested on his hips and peculiar lips that curved into the tiniest of  
half-smiles. His hazel eyes seemed to draw her into his confidence.   
Although her mind warned her not to, Troi instinctively felt she could  
trust this man.  
"You can call me Troi." the words surprized her, as though they had come  
from someone else.   
The half-smile flared into a full smile as he bent to shake her hand.   
"And you can call me Mulder. Everyone does." The man turned to look at  
his partner, and Troi followed his gaze, this time scrutinizing the woman.   
She was tiny, even a bit shorter than Troi herself, and had bright blue  
eyes that contrasted with her shoulder length red hair. There was a aura  
of intelligence and slight mystery around her.   
She met her partners eyes, and a brief flash of something like a private  
joke passed between them before the woman also turned to Troi.  
"And I'm Agent Scully, but you can call me Dana."  
"Lucky you." Agent Mulder stage-whispered conspiratorially to her.  
"Mulder." The woman gave him a look, and he grinned but then fell  
silent.  
Troi watched them with wondering eyes. Who were these people? They were  
certainly not what she had expected them to be.   
"Troi," Agent Scully broke the silence. "I realize you are probably  
tired of answering questions, but we just need to ask you a few. And it  
would help us -and you- if you would answer them."   
When Scully saw Troi's face tightened, she hastened to add, "But you  
don't have to. You have that right."  
"But," Agent Mulder jumped in, picking up where his partner had left off  
with such effortless grace, Troi wondered how just much practice they  
had. "It would sure go a long way to clearing your association with all  
this if you would cooperate with us."  
Troi looked down at her hands, then up at the Agents, then down at her  
hands again. "I-I- What do you want to know?" Her throat was threatening  
to constrict.  
"How did you know that convenience store would be robbed, Troi?" Mulder  
asked, his voice intense but soft. "I know you weren't in that gang."  
"How do you know?" Troi demanded with a flash of annoyance that was not  
directed at Agent Mulder. "I've been telling them that for the past 2  
hours, but they won't believe me!"  
"But you didn't tell them how you knew," Mulder rested his hands on the  
table. "You can trust us Troi," he indicated himself and his partner. "We  
want to help you."  
"I- It's- I don't know how I knew." Troi finished lamely. Silence  
pervaded, smothering her into adding under her breath, "No one believes  
it." She wanted to tell these people. She was desperate to trust someone. But  
they would never take her seriously.  
"I'll believe you Troi."  
Tears sprang to her eyes unbidden. Agent Mulder had no idea how hearing  
those four little words meant to her.  
"I..I have dreams.." Troi's voice was soft, little more than a whisper.  
"In my dream I saw...I saw..." Her voice choked on the tears.   
Agent Mulder listened raptly. "Was this your first dream Troi?" He  
asked.  
"No. No, they always come. They haunt me. They- they-" Her voice broke,   
and her chin dipped to her chest, shoulders shaking.   
She was trying to be strong, she really was. But the tears flowed in a  
ever increasing torrent of emotion.  
"Troi, when you dream does it-"  
"Mulder, stop." Agent Scully ordered, moving kneel beside Troi's chair  
and gather the thin girl in her arms. "Just stop. Look at her. She doesn't need   
your interrogation right now."  
"Your right Scully." Mulder sounded ashamed. "I'm sorry."  
"No- it's alright." Troi lifted her head from the female FBI agent's  
shoulder and began wiping the glistening tears from her face. "I'm just  
tired. I don't mind Agent Mulder's questions. I want to tell you."  
"Ms. Cart- Troi," Scully looked at the girl with concern. "You've had a  
rough day. You're under a lot of stress. I think right now what you need  
is a quiet place to lay down and a good cup of hot chocolate from the shop  
around the corner." She looked at Mulder pointedly. He took the hint and  
headed for the door.   
"Come on," Scully raised Troi to her feet, following Mulder. "We'll-"  
The door suddenly swung open before the threesome could get there. The  
burly guard from before walked in, followed by a 30-something police  
officer. "Agents Mulder, Scully, I'm Officer Cobb. I've been authorized  
to take the girl back to the Shelter. You don't have to question her  
anymore, she's no longer under charges."  
"I um-" Scully started. But the officer simply pushed past her and  
placed a hand on Troi's arm. "Come on young lady. Ms. Malone is worried  
sick about you."  
Troi gazed back toward Scully with a lost look on her face as Officer  
Cobb guided her out of the room.   
Scully stared after her a moment, then sighed and turned back to Mulder.  
"Oh, well." Her voice sounded regretful.  
"You tried Scully, and I know she appreciated that. You could see it in  
her eyes. I bet that was the most kindness that kid will get this week."  
Mulder looked down at his partner affectionately as he held the door open  
for her as they walked outside.  
"The sad part is you're right Mulder. Well, can't argue with protocol.  
She's not our jurisdiction anymore." Scully glanced at Troi's retreating  
form as the girl ducked into Officer Cobb's swat car.   
"I wish her luck though," Scully said. "She's seems like a very special  
young lady."  
"How so?" Mulder inquired, as they got into his car.  
"Well, she strikes me as smart, strong and brave, with a lot of  
compassion, or she wouldn't have tried to save that clerk."  
"Hmm." Mulder mused. "She sounds a lot like you Scully." He grinned.  
"Just about perfect."   
Scully looked pointedly out the window to hide her unexpected blush.   
"Just drive Mulder."   
  
Troi turned awkwardly in the backseat of the squad car and watched the  
FBI couple pull out of the parking lot and drive off in the opposite  
direction.  
She sighed bitterly and turned back around. She stared at the steel  
cross-hatched barrier between her and Officer Cobb in the front seat. She  
felt like a criminal or something.   
Why hadn't the cop let her sit in the front? Well, that didn't take a  
rocket scientist to figure out. It was  
because she was an orphan. It always was. People didn't like to get close  
to orphans, physically or emotionally. Especially those labeled "troubled  
teens" like herself. They were considered "problems". Nothing but social  
problems to be handed over to someone else. Over and over and over....  
Troi had been through more than her share of foster homes before coming  
to McGregor. None of them had come close to working. Either the family  
had hated Troi or Troi had hated the family. Usually both.   
The only time she had gotten close was with Danny and Cory Melbourne.  
They were a young couple in their late twenties, just starting out and  
full of life. Troi had been 12 at the time, and had fallen head over  
heels for the Melbourne's and their carefree lifestyle.   
Troi had thought it would be perfect. They loved her..... didn't they?  
They would adopt her, and she could be a "normal" kid. She had imagined  
spending forever with them, writing "Troi Melbourne" on all of her books,  
her school papers...   
Troi's heart still contracted painfully when she thought about it.  
Everything had seemed to be going fine. Troi hadn't even had a dream  
since living with the Melbourne's. They had bought her a locket for  
Christmas. It was perfect, perfect.  
Until the day she had decided to ask for permission to call them mom and  
dad. She was so sure that they would adopt her....but her hopes had been  
crushed when Cory Melbourne had announced that they were moving, and Troi  
was going back to the Home.   
It had hurt so bad. Troi had thrown the locket out the window while  
going over the bridge on the painful drive back to the Home, and swore  
that she would never, not ever call anyone "mom" or "dad". Those were the  
names reserved only for her real parents, the names she whispered  
in the dark at night, hoping they could hear. Her real parents, James and  
Lydia Carter, the only people who had never betrayed her.  
Troi closed her eyes, willing the image of her parents faces to rise to  
her mind. But all she saw were faint shapes, muted colors. She bit her  
lip.  
That was all that remained of them now. Faded memories in the mind of  
their only daughter, the one they left behind.  
A sharp bump violently jolted Troi out of her reverie as the squad car  
hit a pot hole.   
"Sorry 'bout that." Officer Cobb called back to her, the only words her  
had spoken to her since they got in the car. He lapsed into silence  
again.  
Then, "We're almost there."  
Troi looked out the window to see the cold stone of the MacGregor home  
for girls loom up in front of her down the road.  
She was not looking forward to returning. /Ms. Malone is worried sick  
about you./ Officer Cobb had said.  
/Hah./ Troi thought. /Not likely./  
  
Later that night  
MacGregor Home for Girls  
  
Troi had been expecting a heated lecture from Ms. Malone, and hadn't  
been disappointed. The social worker had been frustrated and terribly  
embarrassed by the whole situation.   
As soon as Officer Cobb left, Troi was summarily escorted to   
Ms. Malone's office, and given a royal chewing out, the likes of which she   
would be hard-pressed to top. Ms. Malone had started out cold and icy,   
but when Troi refused to offer a explanation or apology of any kind, Ms. Malone   
quickly lost her temper and struck her -a swift, stinging blow to the face.   
Only that brought a response from the stoic Troi, her eyes filling up  
with unshed tears as she turned and ran from the room, not stopping until  
she reached the Home's large dusty attic,- her place of sanctuary.   
There she had curled up in to a tiny, thin, miserable ball on a  
antiquated sofa in the corner, and choked back tortured, lonely sobs  
until sleep overtook her.  
  
And that night, she dreamed....  
  
  
//////"He almost found it?"  
Men in dark suits.  
"Yes. But we were fortunate. Our man in the FBI prevented it. Our tracks  
have been covered. It is not a problem anymore."  
"Agent Mulder is always a problem."  
Gray hair. Stern, cold faces.  
"If Agent Mulder is such a difficulty, why not eliminate him?"  
Leather furniture, dark room, smoke clinging to the air.  
"We've been over this too many times. It's because of Agent Scully."  
"And why not eliminate her as well?"  
"We cannot. Not now. She is Their property. We can not interfere."  
One man. The leader?  
"I wish you would drop the subject. We have more important things to  
speak of."  
His associate. Lungs as black as tar. A heart blacker.  
"Such as?"  
Smoke curling upward from his lips.  
"The Project is nearing completion. The Date is coming."  
A head of steel gray hair. Eyes cold, devoid of emotion.  
"Only 6 months."  
A chilled wind blew outside.  
"That is little time. Too little."  
"We need to create more of the vaccine."  
"We cannot. It is useless. We must give up on the vaccine. It can not  
save us. It is no longer a option. Only cooperation will protect us now."  
"So you should concentrate on cooperation. Not the Mulder problem. They  
don't concern themselves with him. Neither should you. Thwarting him has  
become your obsession."   
"He's a danger to the Project still. He's determined."  
"There are things more dangerous than the Mulder Problem."  
Piercing eyes. Silence and smoke.  
"You've moved the evidence again I assume."  
"Yes."  
"Where?"  
"Michigan."  
"Good."  
"What about Black?"  
"What about him?"  
"Leakage is possible."  
"Not from Black."  
"How do you know?"  
"Trust me." A hiss accompanied by smoke.  
"Trust me......" ////////////  
  
Troi woke with a start.  
The dream had left her cold. Normally, her dreams left her grieving, sad  
and shaking. But this was not one of her *normal* dreams.   
\As if any of *my* dreams could be classified as *normal*/ Troi thought  
bitterly.   
But this one was different.  
She shivered.  
//The Date.....Must give up on the vaccine. It can no longer save  
us....The Mulder Problem....The Mulder Problem.....Mulder......//  
Agent Mulder.  
Troi's eyebrows shot up. No, It couldn't be.  
Could it?  
Even as she considered it, she knew the truth of it. She felt it deep in  
her gut.  
She had to see the FBI Agents again. She had to go to them. Had to tell  
them. If her darkest suspicions about the eerie shadow men were true....  
The psychic impression she had obtained of those men told her they were  
evil. Dangerous and embroiled in conspiracy. Conspiracy that could spell  
out terrible words in her mind's eye. Disaster. Grief. Apocalypse.   
Death.  
Troi had never been big on conspiracies. She had met a girl once in a  
half-way temporary foster home who was convinced that she was the product  
of secret experiments by sinister government agency, that she had  
"sisters" as  
she called them, and that "The Men" would be coming back for her someday.  
Troi had thought she was nuts. But now.....  
No. No, no no no no....  
It couldn't be.  
It just couldn't.  
Troi shook herself, stood up, stretched and headed for the door.   
Then she stopped abruptly, the memory of Ms. Malone's scathing rebuke,  
the feel of fire on her face as the woman's hand slapped her.  
Troi's feet were planted to the floor. She didn't want to go back down.  
Troi told herself it was pride. She wouldn't go back down because she  
didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing her bend even  
slightly.   
But deep down Troi knew it was not *really* pride.   
It was fear.  
A deep primal fear. A fear no one knew she had.  
A memory surfaced slowly, crawling it's way from that place she had tied  
so hard to bury it.  
She had been young. It was her second foster home. The father had been  
short tempered. Angry.  
And physical about it.  
Not to his own children. Oh, no. But Troi was not one of his own  
children.  
And he made sure she knew it.  
Troi's gut clenched and turned to ice. She quashed the memories back  
down with an almost visible effort. Her eyes flicked over the attic  
quickly, coming to rest unexpectedly on a small window in the far wall.  
A sudden thought jumped into Troi's head.  
/Run away. Leave. You don't have to stay here. Take control of your own  
destiny. Stop letting it spiral out of your grip./  
/You can do it./  
/Run./   
Troi caught her breath. The danger of the thought frightened her.   
It was not that she was afraid of getting caught. She knew that there  
was a tall oak tree just outside that window, one that leaned over the  
tall wire fence that surrounded the Home. Carla had done it. Did it  
regularly. Snuck out to be with her boyfriend. Troi knew it was possible.  
Knew that she could get away with it.   
And that was what scared her.  
But at the same time, it gave her a immense sense of peace. She would be  
in control. She would not longer have to have the dreadful feeling of  
helplessness she lived with every day.  
She would be in control.  
Control.  
It was something Troi had never had, and her heart beat faster at the  
thought of it, as if it were a forbidden pleasure. She had never been in  
control of anything in her life.   
Not when she dreamed. Not when the Melbourne's had rejected her. Not  
when *he* had beaten her. Not when Ms.  
Malone had slapped her.  
Never.  
/That changes now./ Troi thought as she walked steadily towards the  
window and yanked it open. The night was still dark and cold outside. She  
leaned out the window as the chilled breeze toyed with her dark hair.  
/That all changes now./  
  
  
5 hours later...  
  
Troi shivered. Dawn was coming.   
The morning sun was just slanting through the spaces between the high  
abandoned buildings that populated this area of the city, making the  
world around her eerie in the half light. The street was still empty and  
littered with pieces of trash that blew in the cold air.   
Troi pulled the light jacket she wore over her white tank top tighter  
around her thin frame.   
She had been walking for hours now, and wasn't sure where she was  
anymore.  
It scared her a little, but the ease with which she had gotten away from  
the Shelter had gone to her head. Troi felt that no matter what happened,  
no one and nothing couldn't ever touch her again.   
She had the power. She was the one who called the shots. No one else.  
For the first time in what seemed like years, a smile stole across the  
face of Troi Anne Carter. She shut her eyes and threw her head back,  
feeling a laugh bubble up from somewhere in the depths of her soul.   
She was free.  
But her joy was short lived. Troi heard a noise coming from the alleyway  
just ahead of her. Voices. Rough voices, looking for trouble.  
Troi instinctively flattened her self against the dirty wall of a nearby  
building. A gang. It had to be. No one else roamed the streets in this  
part  
of town.   
She sucked in a shaky breath and eased her way to a door that led to the  
inside of the building, praying she would reach it before the gang  
members made it around the corner.  
Her hand grasped a rusty metal handle, and she yanked down hard, the  
door popping free as she spun herself inside, shutting the door again as  
quickly and as quietly as she could.   
Troi leaned against the wall, holding her breath as she heard the heavy  
footsteps and voices pass by the door. They hadn't noticed her.  
Troi breathed a sigh if relief and turned to look at her surroundings.  
The building was definitely abandoned, dusty and cluttered with old  
boards and boxes. She realized she must be in the basement.   
Groping her way around in the dark, only able to see by the dim light  
that slanted through the boarded up windows, Troi made her way to a  
stairwell, and began to climb.   
Troi had a strange sense of deja-vu about this place.  
She reached the top of the stairwell and forced open the door at the  
top.  
Troi found herself in a long hallway, with a dark brown carpet and a  
series of doors leading to rooms or more hallways. Her strange feeling  
intensified.  
/I've been here before./ Troi thought. /I know I have./  
She walked down the hallway as if in a trance, and then stopped suddenly  
when a low voice reached her ears. She immediately tensed, straining to  
locate where the noise was coming from.  
Turning to a nearby door, Troi pressed her ear against it, as the voices  
became louder and more clear. Someone inside was speaking. Troi bit her  
lip and held her breath as the words started to become clear.  
"Our man in the FBI prevented it. Our tracks have been covered. It's no  
longer a problem."  
"Agent Mulder is always a problem."  
Troi smothered a gasp. Her dream! She listened raptly, pressing closer  
to the door as the conversation unfolded, identical to the one she had  
heard in her dream.  
"Leakage is possible."  
"From where?"  
"Black."  
"Not from Black."  
"How do you know?"  
"Trust me."  
A thump came from inside the room as a mug was sat down on a table. "I  
thought we were to trust no one."  
"No, no," A new voice came from inside the room, a younger voice, and  
heavily laced with sarcasm. "You've got it backward. Good ol' Smokey here  
says you can trust everyone."  
"Krycek." The voice had a warning tone to it, but not without a sardonic  
lift. "Must I remind you, you still walk dangerous ground in our council.  
Mind your manners."  
The younger voice, evidently named Krycek, made a rude noise and crossed  
the room, footfalls coming toward the door.  
Troi panicked. She knew in her gut that to be found this way would mean  
death. She didn't know why, she just knew.   
She tried to turn silently, but in her haste she tripped and fell,  
landing on her knees hard.  
THUMP.  
"What-" Movement from inside and the door flew open. Troi leapt to her  
feet and began running, not daring to turn even when she reached the door  
to the stairwell, feeling the thudding of a man pursuing her.   
Throwing open the door, she clattered down the stairs and out the door,  
rushing through the basement and out into the street, the man still  
running after her.  
"Stop!" The voice behind her was harsh.  
Hell no. Troi thought, skidding into an alley and running blindly until  
she nearly ran into the chain lick fence that blacked her path.  
Her eyes desperately darted around. No way out. Left with no choice,  
her hands grasped the fence and she began to climb.   
Just as she reached the top and swung her leg over the side, Troi looked  
back, and saw her hunter skid around the corner and head toward her.   
Troi looked into his hard face and dark cold eyes. Eyes of a experienced  
killer.   
Fear jolted though her, and as she tried to swing her legs over the  
fence, she lost her precarious balance, loosing a cry as she fell to the  
ground with heavily.   
Sharp pain bit into Troi and overwhelmed her, tearing at her insides.   
She lay there stunned, unable to move, eyes heavy and nearly shut. She  
heard the clattering of the chain link fence through ringing ears and a  
thud as her pursuer dropped to the  
ground beside her.  
Through silted, blurred eyes, Troi saw the man lean over her. His  
young,handsome face was distorted by the hard, icy look of a trained  
killer.   
He lowered his gun until it was level with her head. Troi held her  
shallow breathing as best as she could, despite the pain. /Please let him  
think I'm dead./ The man narrowed his eyes at her. /Oh God, please./  
Troi begged.  
Then, from the street outside the alley, came the sudden sound of a  
siren.  
The man's head jerked up, and looked around. He turned back to Troi, and  
kicked her brutaliy, the toe of his boot striking her face, and then her  
rib cage. Troi choked back a groan, knowing her life depended on it,  
even as her mind began to go fuzzy with pain.  
Dimly, she head the man's footsteps beating a hasty retreat, and then he  
disappeared, as if he had never been.   
The siren grew louder, this time accompanied by the frantic footsteps of  
a running gang member. The siren stopped just outside the alleyway, and  
she heard the voices of two police men arresting the gang member, who was  
loudly protesting.  
"Hey man! What you think you're doin'? I ain't done nothin'!"  
"Yeah, save it for the cops, son. Wait. We are the cops! So why don't  
you just save it."  
"Listen, ya got the wrong guy!"  
"Yeah sure."  
Troi heard the sound of the police door being shut as they put the  
convict in the back.   
Troi knew she had to get to them before they left. She needed help.  
Troi slowly raised herself to her hands, pain shooting from her  
injuries, her head swimming, as blood poured from her nose and mouth.  
"Help." The word was a mear whisper. "Help. Wait. Please." Her voice  
grew louder, cracking into a tiny gurgling cry. "Wait!" She pulled up the  
last  
vestiges of her strength ,and crawled toward the voices of the cops.  
Her movement were slow and sluggish, as she felt herself losing  
consciousness. Suddenly, she could go no further, her arms giving way  
beneath her as she dropped to the ground, giving up hope and letting the  
darkness overtake her.  
  
Officer Trent sighed as he moved around his squad car, reaching down to  
open the drivers-side door.  
/Another dent made in the drug-dealer population./ He thought wearily.  
/5:00am is way to early to be doing this./   
Suddenly, a noise from the ally caught his attention. Drawing his gun, he  
made his way toward the ally entrance.  
His partner, Kane, glanced at him. Not moving, but nodding to show he  
was ready to cover him if need be.  
Trent eased around the corner of the ally, eyes scanning for the source  
of the noise.   
What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.   
"Oh my Go-"  
"Kane! Get over here!"  
  
  
9:50 am   
The next day  
FBI Headquarters  
Mulder and Scully's office  
  
Mulder sat at his perpetually cluttered desk, seriously contemplating  
the frosted doughnut he held in his hand.  
"Say, Scully." He drawled lazily to his partner who was pouring a cup of  
coffee across theroom. "Didja know that they don't really use the left  
over dough from the doughnut holes to make doughnut holes?"  
"What?!?" Scully nearly spilled her coffee over the side of the cup as  
she looked at her partner in amazement at the sheer confusing stupidity  
of his remark.   
"You know. I mean the round little pastry things they call "doughnut  
holes"? They don't really use the dough left over from the doughnut to  
make them."  
Scully clanked the coffee pot back into the maker. That man never ceases  
to amaze me. "And just where did you find that vital piece of  
information?"  
"I used to work at the Dunkin' Doughnuts during the summer when I was a  
kid. I just never thought about it 'till now." Mulder looked back up at  
Scully. "Ya know, if word got out, I bet the doughnut purists would be up  
in arms."  
"Well, don't tell Frohike then. We wouldn't want any trouble." Scully  
said smoothly, turning from him to cross over to her desk.  
Mulder grinned widely, watching her.  
The phone rang just as Scully sat down. She reached over and scooped it  
up without even breaking her flow. "Scully."  
"Agent Scully?" The voice of their one-time boss, Assistant Director  
Skinner, surprised her. Scully sat up straight, as her eyes widened. She  
covered the receiver with a hand and mouthed \It's Skinner,\ in Mulder's  
direction before responding. "Uh, yes sir?"  
"Scully, I'm down at D.C. Police Department 7. I was returning something  
to a friend here when I stumbled across a unusual situation."  
Scully's eyebrows raised a little, and she glanced over at Mulder.  
"Sir?"  
"There was a attempted murder yesterday morning in the slums."   
  
Pause.  
  
"The victim would like to speak with you." 


	2. Visions part two

Title: "Visions" part 2  
  
Author: Riva  
  
Email: DrScully@imneverwrong.com  
  
Summary: A young girl who *sees* to much enters the lives of Mulder and  
Scully.  
  
Disclaimer, Authors Notes, etc.....can all be found at the beginning of  
part 1.  
  
------------------------AND ON WITH THE SHOW------------------------  
  
"Visions" part 2  
By Riva  
  
Mercy Hospital,  
Washington DC,  
11:15 am  
  
Agent Fox Mulder shuddered slightly as he walked past the hallway that  
led to the IC unit at Mercy Hospital. He had been there one to many  
times, either being treated for various injuries sustained to himself, or  
frantically searching for the woman that now walked along beside him-  
Dana Scully.  
Of all the memories, Mulder still felt that the worst by far were those  
dark days when he -they- had been forced to face the very real fact that Scully   
might die from cancer. A cold chill coursed it's way down Mulder's spine as it  
always did when he thought of it.  
"Mulder?" Scully's voice sounded next to him. "What's wrong?"  
{Good grief, the woman can read my mind.} "Nothing, Scully, just  
memories."  
Scully reached over and gave his hand a brief reassuring squeeze. He  
felt disappointed when she let his hand drop a moment later.   
"Section 5b." Scully stated, reading the direction plaque on the left.  
"This is it, Mulder." She started to turn the corner, "Think Skinner will  
be here to-"  
"Agents Mulder, Scully!" Assistant Director Skinner called to them as  
they rounded the corner, walking towards them with the expression of one  
who has been kept in the dark too much, and has learned to hate it. "The  
girl is just over there is room 207." He stated, walking up to them. "But  
before you go in there, I want to know just what the heck is going on.  
How does she know you? And just who is she? All she will tell us is her  
name is Troi and she need to see the two of you."   
Mulder and Scully exchanged a glance, unsure of how to answer their him.  
  
"Well, sir," Mulder started. "I believe it's the same girl that Scully  
and I met yesterday morning at the DCPD. She was being questioned in a  
gang robbery that she evidently tried to prevent. We had just met her  
when she was taken back to the Shelter where she lives. And frankly sir,  
I have no idea why she's here or why she wants us."  
"Well, Agent Mulder, the reason she's here is someone tried to kill  
her." Skinner said bluntly. "An Officer Kane and his partner discovered  
her lying unconscious in a ally, severely battered. She evidently fell  
while trying to scale a 15 foot chain link fence, and then was kicked  
repeatedly in the face and abdomen."  
"Oh, God." Scully whispered, moving past Skinner and towards room 207.  
"Can we see her sir?"  
"I should say so. She perfectly conscious and verbal, in fact she's been  
demanding to see the two of you since she opened her eyes. No requests  
for family or anything." Skinner left the last sentence hang in the air  
like a question.  
"She doesn't have any family." Mulder answered automatically, pushing  
past Skinner and following Scully into the room.  
Scully entered the hospital room, and her breath caught in her throat  
when she saw Troi. The girl lay propped up against the stark white pillow  
on the bed, her eyes closed. Scully stared in horror at the ugly purpling  
bruise on her cheek bone, and the deep cut in her lip that was beginning  
to scab over. [who would do this?] Scully thought as she walked closer.  
As she got close, Troi suddenly opened her eyes.  
"Hey Troi." Scully smiled at her gently.   
"Ms. Scully. You came." Troi smiled back weakly.  
"Of course we came. Why wouldn't we? Are you okay?" Scully sat down next  
to the bed and ran her hands gently against Troi's face.  
Mulder stood in the doorway and watched the soft interchange. He smiled  
to himself. It was plain to see that Scully was taking this girl into her  
heart with open arms.  
"Yeah, I'm okay. I just, um, went somewhere I wasn't supposed to." Troi  
was saying to Scully.  
"You seem to do a lot of that." Mulder said coming close.  
"Just like you, Mulder." Scully smiled back at him.  
"Agent Mulder!" Troi sat up straighter and grinned at him, then grimaced  
in pain.   
Mulder chuckled. "Better save the big smiles for later kid."  
"Who did this to you Troi?" Scully asked, suddenly serious.  
"Uh..." Troi's eyes darted around the room. "I don't know if it's safe  
to tell you here."  
Mulder and Scully both leaned in closer to Troi, Mulder pulling up  
another chair. "It's safe Troi. What happened?"  
"I- had another dream." Troi told them. "But this one was different than  
any dream I've had before. I.." She stopped for a moment, as if wondering  
if she should continue. "..saw men, in a room, talking. They talked about  
you -both of you- so I knew I had to tell you."   
Scully's eyebrows raised.   
Troi continued. "But mostly they were talking about things I didn't  
understand." A confused look clouded Troi face as she spoke, making a  
vague motion with her hands. "..Merchandise, and Dates, and Colonization  
and Projects. I didn't know what it meant."  
Mulder and Scully exchanged a look. [the Syndicate]  
"But I knew they were evil. I could feel it." Troi said with conviction.  
"Anyway, I ran away from the Shelter that night. I couldn't stay any  
longer." She looked at Dana with pleading eyes. "Don't make me go back  
there Dana, please don't-"  
"We'll talk about that later," Scully soothed. "Just tell us what  
happened."  
Troi slowly and haltingly choked out the rest of her tale. Mulder hands  
tightened into fists when she described the man they called Krycek, and  
how he had chased her. Scully's face too, was grim.  
When Troi finished, Scully stood and reached out to touch Mulder's  
shoulder. He took the cue and rose as well. "Troi, you need to get some  
rest. I need to talk to Agent Mulder for a minute." Troi nodded, and the  
Agents left the room.  
  
Skinner stood up from his chair in the hall when Scully and Mulder  
exited the hospital room.  
"So what did she say?" Skinner asked.  
"It's hard to explain sir." Scully said slowly.  
"Well you had better start explaining Agent." Skinner said roughly.  
"Weather you think so or not, I've put myself on the line for you way to  
many times to be kept in the dark about something a teenage girl told  
you."  
Scully looked up at Mulder. He shrugged. Scully sighed.   
"Sir, I think you should sit down."  
  
AN HOUR LATER...  
  
Troi was getting highly annoyed with the nursing staff at Mercy  
Hospital. Eat your food, get some rest, take a pill, let us shoot you  
full of drugs.....Troi was about sick of it. Just about the time she was  
wishing a slow and painful death on the last nurse to leave, Dana and  
Mulder came back.  
This time though, Troi noticed, they were followed by the same man she  
had spoken to earlier. What was his name? Skinner.  
"Troi." Dana said. "You met Skinner right?"  
"Yeah," Troi said.   
"Well, Skinner is Mulder and I's department superior at the FBI,  
and....our friend." Scully said. "We told him what you saw. You can trust  
him, okay?"  
The suspicious look on Troi's face lessened, but did not go away. Her  
eyes turned to Mulder. He gave her a tight smile and nodded. That was  
enough for Troi. "Okay."  
"Mulder told me about your dreams." Skinner said. "I'm not sure I  
believe him, but either way you are obviously in danger because of these  
men." Skinner's face grew somber, and he looked away, thoughtful. "I've  
dealt with them before. You might need protection." He looked back at  
Troi. "So the question is- young lady, -what to do with you."  
"Please don't-" Troi stopped as Scully put a warning hand on her arm.  
"Agent Scully has already informed me that you don't wish to be sent  
back to the Shelter. I can honor that wish- for now." Skinner's eyes  
softened with compassion. "I realize you don't want to go back, but  
eventually you have to. You are legally a ward of the state, and the  
Shelter is where you have to be until another foster family can be  
found."  
"No foster family is going to be found." Troi mumbled at her chest. "I'm  
a jip."  
"I beg your pardon?" Scully asked.  
"A jip. A reject. A problem child." Troi said bitterly. "It means you  
have the label "Troubled teen" and "low-acceptance candidate" on your  
case file, and nobody is going to pick you."  
The adults in the room simply looked around at each other uncomfortably,  
unsure of what to say.  
Skinner cleared his throat. "For now however, because I feel your  
current situation calls for it, I am placing you under protective  
custody. Agent Scully had volunteered for this job."  
Troi looked at Scully in wonder. "Really?"  
"Well, if you can stand me." Scully smiled at her. "The hospital agreed  
to release you into my custody late this afternoon, after they check you  
out one last time."  
Troi made a face.  
"But I have to warn you," Scully continued. "I have next to no experience  
taking care of kids." She smiled suddenly, "Well, that's not true. I  
always have my experience with Mulder."  
"Hey!" Mulder exclaimed, and Skinner snorted.  
Troi grinned. "It's okay. I have *plenty* of experience taking care of  
myself, so I'm not very high matinance."  
"Mulder on the other hand..." Skinner quipped from behind his hand as he  
left the room.  
Mulder glared after him, then turned back to Scully with a pouty look on  
his face. "I can *so* take care of myself Scully."  
Troi stared in wonder as Scully burst out laughing. She had a sudden  
intuition that she was witnessing something rare and precious. That it  
was not often that this woman laughed, and when she did it was a treasure  
to be cherished. [she's really beautiful] Troi realized.   
"You wish Mulder." Scully shot back between laughs as she walked out the  
door. Troi watched as Mulder eyes followed Agent Scully out the door,  
before walking out himself, and Troi wondered if making her laugh hadn't  
been his intention all along.  
  
  
LATER THAT AFTERNOON....  
  
"Are you sure about this, Scully?" Mulder asked, inquiry in his voice as  
he looked closely at his partner.  
"Sure about what Mulder?"  
The two were sitting in the cafe at Mercy Hospital, sharing a caesar  
salad while waiting for Troi's doctor to release her.  
"Taking temporary custody of Troi." Mulder said simply, looking down at  
the salad as he made another stab at it.  
Scully looked up at him. "Why? I don't claim to know it all about taking  
care of children Mulder, but I'm not incompetent, and Troi is very  
self-sufficient..."  
"That's not what I'm worried about Scully." Mulder interrupted gently.  
"I saw the way Troi looked at you when Skinner said that you were taking  
temporary custody."  
"Oh really? And how was that?" Scully arched a perfect eyebrow.  
"She looked at you like you were her savior. Scully, there is something  
that girl is afraid of back at that Shelter. Whether it's loneliness or  
something more tangible I don't know." Mulder heaved a sigh. "But  
whatever it is, I can see she's is already developing a strong attachment  
to you." He looked straight at Scully. "And you to her."  
Scully started to open her mouth, but then closed it.  
"Don't you think that when the time comes to send her back, it's going  
to be...well...difficult??"  
Scully started, then took a deep breath. "I thought about that Mulder. I  
considered the possibilities." She averted her eyes. "But I also  
considered....*other* possibilities." She looked back up at him. "I can't  
explain it Mulder, but I feel very connected to this girl-"  
"I know. So do I."  
"...and...ever since...Emily.." Scully spoke haltingly, again avoiding  
his gaze, "..I felt the need to...take care of someone. To love a child.  
And Troi needs that." Scully shook her head. "It's ridiculous..."  
"No it's not." Mulder shook his head.  
"But it's impossible. They weren't even going to give me custody of  
Emily..."  
"You don't know that."  
"...my own biological child. Why would they even let me be Troi foster  
mother, much less *adopt* her. And I mean, Mulder! This is nuts! I can't  
believe I am even *thinking* about this. It would be a complete and total  
upheaval of my life! Even if she nearly 15. But...."  
"But what?" Mulder asked.  
"I feel like her time is running out.....as is mine."  
Mulder shook his head, gaze resting on her from across the table. "You  
are *far* from having your time run out, Scully. You still have plenty of  
opportunity."   
Scully looked up at him for a moment, a strange expression flitting  
across her face for a moment.  
His eyes caught hers, and suddenly the air around them seemed to grow  
tighter, swirling full of *possibility* that neither had ever seriously  
considered for a moment.  
"Paging Agent Dana Scully."  
The nasal voice sounded over the intercom, shattering the trance the two  
agents had found themselves in.  
"That must be my cue." Scully said, a slight quaver in her voice as she  
stood up. She slung her coat over her shoulder and slipped her arms in  
the sleeves. "Thanks for waiting with me Mulder."  
"Anytime."  
"You need a ride home?"  
"Nah. You go get little Ms. Carter settled. I'll catch a cab."  
Scully smiled warmly at him. "'K." She began to walk toward the  
elevator, then stopped and turned around. "You going to come over  
tomorrow? I won't be going to work."  
"If you want me there."  
"I always want you Mulder."  
Mulder raised his eyebrows, and Scully flushed bright red at her slip  
and stammered. "I- I mean- You're always welcom-"  
Mulder shook his head. "It's okay Scully. I knew what you mean.  
Besides," He said, leaning close as he walked past, "I kinda liked it the  
other way." He strode on down the hall, leaving Scully breathless in his  
wake.  
  
  
  
Dana Scully's apartment  
7:00 am,   
2 weeks later  
Washington, DC  
  
"'Morning Dana!" Troi sang cheerfully entering the kitchenette in her  
pajamas, hair slightly rumpled.  
Scully looked up from her morning coffee and smiled. Troi looked happy.  
It was good to see her look happy. The bruise on her face had nearly  
healed, and the small scar was becoming less obvious. Her complexion had  
become vibrant, and the girl's peculiar beauty was becoming visible.  
Even so, the girl still rarely looked *happy*. There was a constant air  
of sorrow that seemed to hang around her like a mist. Dana had already  
dealt with the aftermath of one of Troi's dreams since she'd been there.  
The girl had woken, screaming in darkness, and it had taken Scully a full  
hour to calm her down. The next morning, the AM News had reported on the  
12 person mass-suicide.  
Scully had been shocked.  
Troi hadn't watched it.  
But this morning, Troi really looked happy. [Maybe I should tell her  
now.] Scully thought.  
"So what's up?" Troi asked, putting a bagel in the toaster and pouring  
herself some orange juice.   
[You know, she really is self-sufficient.] Scully thought. Other than  
the dream, Troi had been almost no trouble. She just needed to be loved.  
To belong to someone.  
Scully bit her lip. Mulder had been right. Within two weeks time, she  
had become incredibly attached to Troi. Attached enough to have called  
Child Services Division last night to put in a request.  
A request for permanent custody.  
"Dana? Hello, earth to Dana?"   
Scully looked up at Troi and smiled. "Troi, we need to talk."  
Troi's face paled slightly. "About what?" She sat down carefully.  
"Troi, I have been seriously considering for sometime what is to happen  
next. You know that my temporary custody is nearly over."  
Troi nodded and bit her lip and prepared herself for the worst. [[I've  
decided to take you back early.]] Troi could almost hear the words.  
"So last night I sent in a patition to CSD for permanent custody."  
Troi just stared, stone-still.  
"There isn't a very big chance that my petition will be accepted, you  
know that. And I realize that I'm hardly the *normal family* you  
envisioned yourself with. You could probably do lots better, and God  
knows there are no guarantees with my job...with anything." Scully drew a  
breath, realizing she was rushing. "So I wouldn't blame you one bit if  
you didn't want to go through with this."  
Scully looked at Troi, who was still unmoving, staring blankly into the  
far-realm. Suddenly, the girl burst into tears. Scully was shocked. Troi  
head went down on the table, into her crossed arms, as she sobbed, her  
shoulder shaking.  
"Troi!?" Scully got up worriedly. "Troi are you alright?"   
"Yeah," -sniff- "I- I'm.." -sniff, sniff- Troi lifted her head and  
looked at Dana with wet, glassy, shining eyes. "I never really thought. I  
mean, I hoped, but I never really thought that you'd want me." The girl  
took a deep shuddering breath as the tears again began to course their  
way down her cheeks.  
"Oh, Troi." Scully sighed and wrapped her arms around the teen, pulling  
her close as Troi hung on to her as though she were her life-line. And in  
Troi's mind, she was.  
Scully surprised herself when she felt the dampness against her own  
cheeks. Even in this moment, she couldn't help but think of her own  
daughter, Emily, who now rested in another place. Scully raised her eyes  
to the ceiling. She felt if she couldn't take care of her own child, she  
could take care of a child who's own mother couldn't care for her.  
Perhaps even now, in heaven, Troi's mother was with her Emily, looking  
down on them. Perhaps this was meant to be.  
From that moment, all of Scully misgivings about her choice dissipated  
into the air like smoke. They would make in through somehow. It didn't  
matter what the state of Virginia thought. They were going to win this  
court battle, and Troi Anne Carter would not be left alone again.  
  
  
Georgetown County Courthouse  
Children's Services Division  
9:00 am, Three weeks later.  
  
Fox William Mulder half paced, half jogged the hallway in the CSD  
division of the massive courthouse. He glanced down at his watch  
nervously. He was late. Scully was not going to be happy.  
Again, his mind drifted to wondering exactly why Scully had called him  
down here. He hoped that nothing too serious had gone wrong with the  
case. He knew how much this meant to Scully- not to mention Troi. He  
remembered his defense of Scully's right to have custody of Emily, and  
wished he had such a defense in this case. But even though he didn't, he  
would argue any point if it meant Scully got what she wanted. He would do  
anything to make her happy.  
Anything.  
Troi too. She needed somewhere to belong. Mulder had grown quite fond of  
the kid in the weeks he'd known her. She was such a resilient person. He  
often looked at her and wondered if maybe Samantha was still out there  
somewhere, as a child grown up in the foster system, and how she would  
have adjusted.  
If he would ever find her.  
A familiar thought.  
He shook it out of his head and looked up at the door to his right, and  
then double-checked with the piece of paper in his hand. The honorable  
Judge Allen Franklen. This was it.  
He pushed open the door and found himself in a small secretary's office.  
As he entered, he saw Scully rise from one of the waiting chairs she sat  
in and move toward him. Troi was also there, sitting cross-legged on her  
own chair. She waved at him.   
Mulder waved back, then turned his attention to Scully. "Hey, what's  
up?" he asked softly.  
Scully took his arm and led him back towards the door. "We need to talk,  
Mulder."  
[uh, oh. I don't like the way she said that.] Warning lights began going  
off in Mulder's brain. "What's wrong?"  
"Well," Scully shut the door behind them once they were outside, and  
leaned against the wall. She sighed. "How do I say this?" She bit her  
lower lip. "I-...We've reached a problem in the case. It took so long for  
it to get through in the first place. Now that the judge has reviewed  
it.... Well, to put it bluntly, we're not going anywhere." She took a  
deep breath. "I negotiated, I've appealed. It's not doing any good.  
Basically, it's the same problems as with Emily. High risk job....and I'm  
single. Now the judge is willing to overlook the job factor because of  
Troi's age, and the fact that she is low-acceptance child." Scully said  
the last phrase with disgust, as though it left a bad taste in her mouth.  
"But that's all."  
"What do you mean?" Mulder asked.  
"I mean, he won't over-look the fact I'm not married. It doesn't matter  
that there are thousands of single mothers in this city, the cold, hard  
fact is that the red-tape won't allow it. Luckily, Judge Franklen is  
sympathetic, and he's given Troi and I away around that problem..." She  
looked up at him. "But I need help."  
"Uh..." Mulder looked confused. "What kind of help?"  
"Judge Franklen says I don't actually have to be married...so long as a  
second party signs the custody papers as the father."  
"Wait a second.." Mulder looked incredulous. "You want me-"  
"Just to sign a piece of paper Mulder, that's all." Scully reached out  
to clasp his hand. "It's just for Troi. There's no entanglements between  
us at all."  
[no entanglements- too late for that] Mulder thought as little jolts of  
electricity ran up his spine at her touch. "It's not that Scully, it's  
that I don't know if I could- I'd make a lousy father, even as half-time  
foster parent."  
"Nonsense. Troi adores you. She's practically independent already, and  
custody would be split 80-20, not 50-50." Scully's blue eyes caught his  
hazel ones. "It's just a signature Mulder. Please."  
[anything to make her happy] Mulder sighed. "Okay." He blew out a deep  
breath. "I'll do it."  
  
  
ONE WEEK LATER........  
  
The verdict was out. Troi Anne Carter was now in the joint-custody of  
Dana Katherine Scully and Fox William Mulder.  
The court battle had been tense. Not because there were any other claims  
on Troi, -no, in fact, the Shelter seemed to be glad to get rid of her-  
but they battle waged was one that must be waged against *red-tape*, a  
VERY formidable enemy.  
But eventually, the protests sagged and gave in to the sheer  
determination the emanated from the young girl who desperately wanted a  
place to belong.  
  
Mulder and Scully were surprised to see Walter Skinner show up at the  
final hearing. Both had been nervous about how their superior would  
react to the news about Troi, but the Assistant Director had seemed  
non-plussed. He told them he had kind of figured something like this  
would happen.  
After the hearing, Skinner had walked up to them and warmly  
congratulated Troi. He shook hands with Scully and then Mulder, pulling  
him to the side as Troi and Scully continued out of the courtroom.   
"I hope you know what you're getting into, Mulder." He said cryptically,  
then walked off, leaving Mulder to catch up with Scully and Troi.   
Once outside, Mulder unlocked the car, and they all climbed in. Troi was  
smashed in the front seat between them, and was positively beaming.  
Mulder glanced at her then at Scully. She, too, was smiling, but her  
smile had more of a far away quality to it. Mulder stared at her for a  
couple seconds, then cleared his throat.  
"So? Where to?"  
"Home." Troi's voice piped up quietly, her eyes beginning to brim up  
with tears again. "Let's go home."  
Scully turned to Troi and slipped a arm around her. "I agree. We can  
celebrate later. For now, we need some rest."  
"Home it is." Mulder said. Somewhere deep inside, he felt a twinge he  
couldn't explain. Home. Her home. *Their* home now. But not *ours*. The  
blue import sedan pulled out of the courthouse parking lot and cruised  
down the street. Once they were out on the highway, Mulder risked a  
glance at Scully. She was leaning back against the window, Troi tucked  
against her side, staring off into space with a far-away look. Mulder  
stifled a wistful sigh and turned his eyes back to the highway, letting  
his mind wander.  
It was getting harder and harder for him to quell the surge of  
unprofessional emotions that threatened whenever he was around Scully  
these days. So *much* had happened between them, and yet....[so close,  
yet so far] Though it was a tired cliched saying, Mulder recognized it's  
truth more now than ever. And what exactly had Assistant Director Skinner  
meant by his comment earlier? [what AM I getting myself into?] Mulder  
thought. [do I really know?] Whatever it was, he was sure he was already  
in WAY too deep to back out know.  
Mulder winced involuntarily. Just the thought of "backing out" -even  
rhetorically- made him cringe. Made him remember that night outside his  
apartment, and his desperate attempt to keep her from leaving. An attempt  
to keep her as a partner, that had somehow swiftly escalated into an  
attempt to keep her as something very different.   
How many times his mind went back to that place. It was the proverbial  
epoch in his non-professional life with Scully. So far.  
[so far? you planning more, mulder?] His internal voice piped up once  
again. For a moment Mulder wafted, unsure of how to answer, but then he  
glanced over at Scully again, and found the surety he had been looking  
for.  
[you bet I'm planning more] He had tried to tell her once. Heck, he had  
tried to tell her a hundred times, but in *words* he had tried to tell  
her once. After Bermuda, and the dizzy experience with the 1930's Scully,  
he had woken up to her beautiful blue eyes and the words had simply  
tumbled off his lips. [i love you...]  
[oh brother]  
Two words had never crushed him so deeply. And yet the look in her eyes  
had never given so much hope.  
It was what he lived off these days. Hope.  
Hope that he would find his sister.   
Hope that they could find the truth.  
Hope that someday, she could love him the way he loved her.  
He glanced over at her one more time. Her eyes had fallen shut, and  
peaceful smile playing over her lips.  
[sigh] Hope.  
  
  
  
Dana Scully's apartment'  
Washington, DC  
11:00 am  
3 days later.  
  
Troi Anne Carter was simply *infected* by a sense of excitement and  
adventure. She stood outside in the chilled air of late October, rubbing  
her arms through the material of her thin shirt. She watched the road in  
front of Dana Scully's apartment impatiently.   
[where IS agent mulder?] she thought, bouncing up and down on the  
pavement to keep warm. She had been waiting for him to arrive since dawn,  
when Dana had woken her and told her that they were leaving on a  
surprised camping trip to the lake. Troi had been estatic. She hadn't  
been on a camping trip since....well, memories were too painful. She had  
confided in Dana sometime earlier that her father had loved to go  
camping, and some of her earliest memories were of her and her parents by  
a lake.  
Dana had admitted to not having been camping in years as well. "Well,  
not a *normal* camping trip anyway," She had said with a enigmatic little  
smile. Troi had wondered what the story behind that smile was, but  
whatever it was, she could bet that it had *something* to do with Agent  
Mulder.  
She bounced on the sidewalk again, shivering as the wind rushed it's icy  
fingers through her cinnamon brown hair.  
"Troi! What are you doing outside? I've been looking for you." Dana  
Scully stepped out the door and walked up to Troi, "It's cold."  
"I'm waiting for Mulder." Troi told her. "You said he was coming to pick  
us up to go on the trip."  
"He is. But not for another half-hour or so. Come back inside."  
Troi shook her head. "I'd rather wait if that's okay Dana. All my stuff  
is packed."  
"I know." Dana responded, amusement crossing her face as she look at the  
young teen. "Well, alright, suit yourself."  
Dana turned to walk back inside, but was stopped by the sound of a  
carhorn, and turned to see Mulder drive up in a awful green-colored  
Volkswagen van.  
"Oh, good lord." Scully muttered under her breath.  
Mulder stopped the van and got out as Troi waved out a cheerful "hi" and  
ran to greet him. Scully crossed her arms and walked toward him at a much  
more sedate pace. "*Please* tell me you didn't get that where I think you  
got it Mulder."  
"Where?" Mulder looked at her with manufactured innocence.  
"That's the Gunmen's car, Mulder." Scully said in a no-nonsense tone.  
"True." Mulder responded with a deadpan expression.  
"Who are the Gunmen?" Troi asked.  
Scully sighed. "Troi, run get your bags okay?"  
  
  
Virginia Highway 103  
3 hours later  
  
Dana Scully sat in the front passengers seat of the dilapidated old van,  
not quite believing that Mulder would actually have the *audacity* to ask  
to borrow the Lone Gunman's vehicle for the weekend. [but then, this is  
mulder we are talking about,] Scully thought with a smile, [audacity is  
his middle name] She turned her head slightly to look at the subject of  
her thoughts, who sat in the drivers seat next to her. He was passively  
looking out at the road, one hand on the wheel, the other cracking one of  
the ever-present sunflower seeds between his teeth.  
A small noise from the behind her caught Scully's attention. In the back  
seat, Troi made a faint murmur and turned in her sleep. Scully smiled at  
the young teen, then turned back around.  
"She okay?" Mulder's question was soft.   
"Yeah, she's fine." Scully whispered back. She sighed and directed her  
attention out the front window. "It's still kind of unreal."  
"What? That we're parents of a someone; age 14, and yet only met 5 years  
ago?"   
"Yeah..." Scully glanced at her partner. "Come to think of it, Mulder,  
it IS unreal. I mean....no one does this. No one adopts a child with  
their partner at the FBI."  
"Well," Mulder countered. "We're hardly your typical partners."  
Scully chuckled. "*That* is true."  
"So...." Mulder started again, "I never got the chance to really ask  
you, *Mom*.....how's life with the kid going anyway?"  
"Would be better if it wasn't for the absentee father." Scully said  
quickly, belatedly biting her tongue when she realized what she had  
said....and how she knew Mulder would take it.  
"Scully, are you coming on to me?" Mulder glanced at her with a teasing  
sparkle in his hazel eyes.  
"Rest stop, Mulder." Scully said suddenly, pointing out the window at  
public stop that lay ahead. Mulder smiled and moved into the exit lane.   
[whew. saved by the exit] Scully thought, as they pulled into the stop.  
She watched as Mulder got out of the van, and headed toward the vending  
machines and ice-box by the restrooms. He moved with the confidence and  
agility she had always seen in him. For a moment, she allowed herself the  
guilty pleasure of watching him, studying the way he moved. Scully felt a  
small ache in her chest as he reached the ice-box, turning back to look  
in her direction, wind ruffling his dark hair. Her heart turned in her  
chest.   
[why can't i just be honest with him? why can't i just say i love you?  
or better yet, dana, why can't you let *him* say it?] Lord knows he  
would. That much she could see. He would- HAD in fact, in that hospital  
after the Bermuda Triangle. She had been so shocked and unsure she had  
only muttered something -what was it? she couldn't even remember now-  
before turning to flee the room. He hadn't said it again. She had briefly  
wondered if it was a fluke, that it was just what she thought it was, a  
combination of pain-killer and too much ingested water.  
[then what about the hallway dana?] a small voice in her head asked her.  
[what's your excuse there? fear? loneliness? heat of the moment?] Scully  
stifled a sigh and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind dished out a argument  
a minute. [he doesn't really love you. not that way. he's your partner.  
you have his respect, yes, his trust, yes, but not his love] Scully heart  
contracted painfully. [but i want to believe!] it seemed to cry. [i want  
to believe...]  
But in reality, all the arguments, all the questions, came down to one  
thing. Fear. Yes, Special Agent Dana Katharine Scully MD, was afraid.  
Afraid to let herself love the person she couldn't live without. Afraid  
he may not feel the same. Afraid if she let herself go, she might  
over-shoot heaven and end up in hell.  
She choked back the short laugh of bitterness that arose in her throat.  
Yes, she was even afraid of Them. How they might use a relationship  
against her and Mulder. She didn't know how, but that didn't stop the  
fear from being there.   
She opened her eyes as she heard the door pop open. "Hey Scully, can you  
put these by your feet?" Mulder asked, holding out two bags of ice.  
"There's no room in the back."   
Scully smiled slightly and took the ice bags. "Sure Mulder." she said.  
She felt the ache in her heart ease a little, as suddenly all her  
spinning questions disappeared in his answering smile. "Whatever you  
want."  
  
  
  
Two Days Later  
Oakwood Campground  
Virginia  
10:40 am  
  
Troi emerged from her tent and stretched, her skin relishing the feel of  
the hot morning sun as it beat down on her. She looked around the now  
familiar campground, feeling the happiest she could remember.   
It had rained the first two nights of their stay, but Troi didn't care.   
The brilliant sunshine that now beat down on the place was worth it.  
She still couldn't believe it was all real. In a few weeks time, her  
life -and her outlook on it- had completely changed. The frustration and  
the loneliness of the Shelter seemed so far away now. Even the  
frightening encounter with the shadowmen and the man who tried to kill  
her seemed to fade in her memory like the scars on her face. Troi turned  
her face toward the soft blue of the morning sky. [mom and dad] she  
thought, [if you're up there, thank you. thank you for looking after me.  
i love you]   
Troi bent to tie the laces of her sneakers, then ran over to where the  
cooler lay a few paces away. She opened it and pulled out an apple,  
jogging over to tap on Dana's tent a few feet away.   
"Dana! Rise and shine! It's sunny! We can go to the lake today, right?"   
A grumbling noise was her only answer, and the rustling of sleeping  
bags. Troi grinned at nothing in particular, and left the tent area,  
rounding the small row of baby evergreens to enter the main camp area.  
"Good morning, Mulder!" Troi said cheerfully. She walked over to the  
picnic table and sat down across from where Mulder sat reading a book and  
picking over the remains of a half-eaten bagel.  
"Well, look who's in a good mood!" Mulder gave her a small grin, and  
took off his reading glasses. "Where's Scully?"  
"Still asleep." Troi told him, munching on her breakfast apple.  
"That woman never ceases to amaze me." Mulder muttered, half to himself.  
"What do you mean?" Troi inquired.   
"Well, it's just that I never would have guessed Dana Scully to be a  
late sleeper. She always up at the crack of dawn when we're on a case."  
Mulder stared over in the direction of the tent. "Just goes to show you  
how little we really know each other." He said, a wistful tone in his  
voice. He turned back to Troi. "Even after 5 years."  
"What's it like having a partner in the FBI?" Troi queried. "I mean, I  
know that sounds like a dumb, little-kid question, but I'm really  
curious. I get the feeling that you and Dana aren't the normal type of  
partners, are you?"  
"No, no we're not." Mulder said. "We're more like...." He trailed off.  
[more like what mulder?] Friends? Yes, but that seemed somehow  
inadequate. Siblings? Now *that* would be a bald-faced lie. He certainly  
did NOT think of Scully as a sister. Lovers? Well, yes....except for the  
tiny detail of never having kissed her. Soulmates? Now there was a word  
that kept popping into his head whenever he thought of Scully, but it was  
forced back out as soon as it entered. He wasn't good enough for that.   
Luckily, he was saved from further debate by Scully's entrance into the  
picnic area.   
"Morning Dana!" Troi said cheerily, seemingly delighting in the  
exasperated glare that she received in return. Scully sat heavily on the  
bench, leaning on the table and running tired fingers through her  
sleep-mussed hair.  
Mulder couldn't quite keep the grin off his face as he stood to retrieve  
Scully a bagel. "Good morning, Sunshine." He said, walking around to her  
and setting down the bagel in front of her. "Did you sleep well?" He  
leaned close, and let his voice drop seductively. She straightened, and  
picked up the bagel. "Yes. No. Why do I have the tent again?" Scully said  
in a incoherent jumble. Troi laughed.   
"Because you said you'd prefer it over a possibly bugged back end of the  
van?" Mulder reminded her.  
"Oh yes." Scully took a bite of her bagel.   
Mulder couldn't help grinning. He'd never quite seen Scully like this.  
She was still asleep really, and he wasn't sure he'd ever encountered her  
when she was anything less than completely alert. Her movements were  
languid and slow beneath her outfit of sweatshirt and jeans, and her eyes  
were still soft and dreamy from the world of oblivion.  
"Dana, since it's not raining can we go down to the lake after  
breakfast?" Troi asked. "Please?"   
"Sure, Troi, we ca-" Scully mumbled, then suddenly sat up. "Go *where*?"  
Now *that* woke her up. Mulder thought.  
"Down to the lake." Troi said. "I haven't been swimming in SO long. I  
want us to go." She reached out and took Scully's hand pleadingly. "Come  
on, it'll be fun!"  
"Yeah, Scully," Mulder joined in. "It'll be *fun*."  
  
  
Triangle Lake  
Oakwood Campground  
Virginia, 1:00 p.m.  
  
"I have yet to be having *fun*." Scully called from her spot on the  
grassy bank nearly forty minutes later. She adjusted the lawn chair she  
sat in and looked down at Troi and Mulder who were both in the lake.  
"That's because you're not in the water." Mulder told her with a cheeky  
grin. Scully sighed. He could be such a little boy sometimes.  
"No, it's because I'm too close to the water already." Scully shot back.  
"I thought you liked the ocean, *Starbuck*." Mulder rejoined.  
"*Ocean*, Mulder." Scully said firmly. "I see no ocean."  
"Water's water." He said stubbornly.  
"Oh, now *that* was intelligent." Scully rolled her eyes.  
"Please, Dana?" It was Troi that implored her now. "It's not cold."  
"I don't want to-" Scully stopped suddenly, looking up from her book.  
"Where's Mulder?"  
"I don't know," Troi looked around. Mulder had disappeared. Not a ripple  
in sight. Scully got up and walked to the edge of the bank, expecting him  
to pop up at any second.   
Not a sound.  
Scully's heart-rate picked up speed, even as her mind hastened to  
reassure her. [he's probably just joking around] However, her feet  
compelled her closer to the edge, peering over into the deep water with  
concerned eyes.  
*********SPLASH!!!!!*************  
Without warning, Mulder shot up from under the water, grabbing Scully's  
wrists and pulling her in with alacrity. Scully let out a startled yelp,  
that was cut short as she fell into the deep water with a huge splash.  
Seconds later she came up gasping, Troi's merry laughter meeting her  
stunned ears. She felt Mulder's strong arms circling her, holding her  
close, his own deep chuckled reverberating around her.  
"Mul-! Mulder you-! Damn you Mulder!" Scully sputtered, attempting to  
push her soaked hair from her face and wriggle from his grasp.  
"Scully, watch your language." Mulder mock-admonished, releasing her a  
little, a helping her scramble, dripping, back on to the ledge. Scully  
just knelt there for a moment, catching her breath, as Mulder climbed up  
after her.  
"Having fun yet Scully?" He asked in a taunting voice.   
Scully's eyes narrowed, a sly smile stealing over her face. "Yes I am  
Mulder." She replied coyly, turning on him suddenly, and blithely shoving  
him back into the lake.  
Mulder let out a surprised cry, before hitting the water loudly. He came  
up heaving, a look of shock and amazement written across his face. Troi  
was laughing so hard she began to hiccup. Scully simply smirked at a  
stunned Mulder, picking up his towel, and tossing it lightly into the  
water after him.  
  
  
Oakwood Campground Exit  
9:30 p.m.  
Virginia  
  
The white van sat silent in the shadows at the edge of the gravel road,  
except for the soft humming noise that gently emanated from the  
interior.Inside, a blond man sat at the controls to a portable computer  
system, sweat running down his forehead as he entered the sensitive code  
into the mainframe. Once chance. He had to do this right.  
Access granted. The man breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He was in. All  
he had to do know was enter the proper coordinates, and the operation  
could proceed.  
As he began to enter the long string of numbers, he felt a twinge of  
remorse for what he was about to do. But he quickly pushed it out of his  
mind. The Project was all important, and *she* was a liability. No loose  
ends could be left open, the future must be controlled at all costs if  
Colonization was to remain effective once instigated. And that meant the  
elimination of all liabilities.  
Not a person, a liability.  
He completed the code string and pressed the return key.  
The numbers vanished into blackness.  
  
  
Oakwood Campground  
10:00 p.m.  
  
Scully leaned over the campfire, stirring the coals to hasten their  
burn-out. Ash swirled around in little patterns as the glow of the embers  
burned itself out. When satisfied, Scully straightened, wiping a tired  
hand across her forehead as she turned. She stopped when she saw Mulder  
leaning up against the van, looking at her with a bemused expression.  
"What?" Scully asked, cocking her head at him.  
Mulder said nothing, but moved toward her, took her chin in his hands.  
Scully's heart did a triple-beat and she froze. Slowly, Mulder ran his  
thumb across her forehead, removing the soot that clung there.  
"You rubbed soot on your face." His voice was hushed, hazel eyes bright  
as her stared into hers.  
"Thanks." Scully said tremulously, silently cursing her treacherous  
voice. [stay steady would you! you can't let him effect your balance that  
way!]  
Almost as if sensing her discomfort, Mulder moved away, turning back to  
the van and opening the back doors, leaving her feeling cold.  
Mulder sat down in the wide expanse in the back of the Gunman's van.  
They had converted into his sleeping space, as they had only had two  
tents available. He reached in and unrolled his sleeping bag, settling  
down on the edge.  
Scully stood there in silence, feeling empty with his absence, but  
steady again, her equilibrium returned.  
Then Mulder held out a hand.  
Her heart kicked into overdrive again. Her mind told her to tell him  
goodnight, and leave. [the last thing i need right now is to loose  
balance again] And she would. She knew she would. But her body was moving  
forward as if in a trance. She reached out, and their hands touched.   
Even as the now-familiar shudder of electricity shot up her arm, a  
sudden clarity of thought hit her.   
[what was i afraid of? nothing's going to happen. i trust him]  
She smiled, and he smiled back. Scully sat down beside him, their hands  
still clasped together. Silence surrounded them, but it was a comfortable  
silence. Together, they stared out into the silent forest.   
  
  
Oakwood Campground  
10:00 p.m.  
  
Troi snuggled into her sleeping bag, inhaling deeply of the pine-scented  
air, with the last vestiges of smoke from the dying campfire wafting in  
from the outside. She smiled. It had been a good day.   
After returning from the lake and drying off, they had spent the rest of  
the day just relaxing and having fun. Troi marveled at how easy she found  
it to relax, -how easy they all found it. From what she had gathered,  
Mulder and Dana had about as much peace and "normal people fun" as she  
had in the past few years. Though there were awkward moments of  
uncertainty, -moments that were inevitable with two people who were as  
dedicated work-a-holics as those two- but all in all, they had passed the  
day like a *almost* normal family. Dana mostly spent the day curled up  
reading "Pride and Prejudice", as Mulder had taught Troi to play  
baseball. She had been embarrassed to admit she had never played at  
first, but when she watched herself send the ball flying over the tree  
tops, it had all been worth it.  
Troi smiled to herself. She felt something akin to hero-worship when it  
came to Fox Mulder. She wasn't as close to him as she was to Dana, and  
suspected she never would be. And yet, the man instilled in her a sense  
of awe and admiration that she had never felt before. She found herself  
constantly backing him up in any argument Dana and him had, found herself  
wanting to be "just like Mulder". His job of working on mysterious files  
at the FBI intrigued her....and she had just decided that someday she  
would do the same.   
Troi's smile turned bittersweet. She vaguely remembered having similar  
feelings toward her real father when he was alive.  
The thought of her real parents brought tears to Troi's eyes. She rolled  
over and pressed her face into the pillow, shutting her eyes and willing  
herself to remember. She was still recalling lost memories, when she  
drifted off to sleep. Just as oblivion overtook her, a spectral sensation  
of ice crept around her, and she shivered.  
And slowly, the light fell across her sleeping form.  
  
Oakwood Campground   
10:30 p.m.  
  
"...for years afterward I refused to eat celery." Scully finished her  
story, laughing quietly. She sighed. "I was sure that that's what had  
killed that poor rabbit."  
"You never know," Mulder responded in a mock-serious voice. "Tainted  
celery is a very serious problem." He was rewarded with a small chuckle  
from Scully.  
The two were laying side by side across Mulder's sleeping bag, legs  
dangling out of the back of the van, open to the night air. Scully stared  
at the ceiling, once again falling into silence. Mulder turned his head  
to glance at her, and immediately found himself entranced. Her face was  
pale in the wan moonlight, her light dusting of freckles just barely  
visible in the half-light. Blue eyes upturned to the ceiling, a pensive  
look on her face. She was obviously lost in thought, so he decided it was  
safe to stare for awhile. Watching Scully when she wasn't aware of it was  
a guilty pleasure that had began quite awhile ago, and he indulged  
himself as often as he could. His eyes slowly traced the planes of her  
face, re-memorizing what he already knew by heart.  
Unconsciously, she licked her bottom lip. Mulder heart flip-flopped and  
his pulse picked up speed. He turned resolutely back to the ceiling. Did  
she have to do that? Didn't she know what that did to him? [no, of course  
not idiot] his mind answered in a surly tone. [you made a art out of  
hiding it from her]  
Mulder sighed. It was so true. He HAD perfected the fine art of walking  
that thin line that had always just *barely* separated them.   
He looked back at her. Maybe it was time to step over that line. Maybe  
it was time to take a chance and step out in faith, hoping against hope  
that she would be there to catch him.   
[...the only one I trust...]  
"Mulder?" Scully said suddenly, cutting off his unborn words before he  
spoke them. "Did you hear something?"  
[what?] Mulder reeled from the unexpected question. "I- um, ah....No."  
"I heard a humming noise." Scully sat up, senses alert. "It sounded...."  
Without warning, a blinding light surrounded them, seeming to cut  
through the ceiling of the van as if it weren't even there. Scully  
covered her eyes, crying out as if in pain as the intense brightness  
exploded across her vision.  
Then, just as swiftly as it had come, the light was gone, leaving them  
once again in darkness.  
Mulder jumped to his feet abruptly, scrambling out of the van and  
standing outside, searching eyes upturned to the sky, Scully standing  
next to him. A million stars met their vision, but all was unmoving and  
silent. Mulder's eyes went back and forth on the horizon, his hand coming  
up to desperately clutch Scully's arm, as he swallowed hard, them looked  
down at his watch.  
10:45. It had stopped.  
Scully's eyes scanned the perimeter of the camp, looking for a more  
*grounded* explanation. What she saw, however, sent her heart straight to  
her throat.  
"Oh my God! Troi!!!"  
Mulder whirled, the horror in his partner's voice sending cold chills  
through him. [oh no-]   
Scully bolted toward the clearing where Troi's tent stood, Mulder close  
on her heels.  
Troi's tent was burning, set aflame with a terrible scorching fire that  
sparked and consumed the small shelter with a voracious appetite.  
"Troi!!" The scream ripped from Scully's throat as she stood before the  
inferno helplessly. Only the framework of the tent was left now, letting  
them see clearly inside.  
"Mulder! Mulder!" Scully cried, "She's not there! She's not there!" She  
choked violently on the ash and smoke that filled the air. "Where is  
she!?! Mulder, where is she!?!" The stark panic filled her voice. Mulder  
barely heard her, his own thoughts racing, fearful. Light. Fire. Light.  
Humming. Fire. Light....  
TAKEN.  
Scully turned back to the forest, desperately calling Troi's name, as  
Mulder clutched his chest as if in physical pain, dropping to his knees,  
head hung in shame, his hands clutching the ash covered ground in  
helpless frustration. [taken. I failed. I failed her.] A horse cry  
escaped from his throat even as the forest ranger's siren began to wail  
in the distance....  
  
  
Oakwood Campground  
5:35 am  
  
"Ma'am, I'm sorry. We've scoured the area thoroughly. There is no  
evidence of kidnapping, struggle, or flight." The forest ranger looked at  
Scully sympathetically.   
Dawn was just beginning to glimmer over the treetops of the forest.  
Scully and Mulder stood inside the small Ranger's office, complimentary  
breakfast and coffee untouched.   
"But there was no human debris in the fire." The officer continued,  
giving her a hopeful smile. "Your daughter is alive somewhere."   
Scully started to correct him, but fell silent. She didn't have the  
energy. She didn't care what the man thought. And for legal purposes, it  
was true. But she still didn't feel worthy to claim Troi as her own. She  
hadn't been there to protect her. She hadn't been there.....   
She looked over at Mulder who stood a few feet away, leaning up against  
the door with his head in his dusty hands. Despite her exhausted  
emotional numbness, her heart went out to him. [he must be in hell] She  
knew what he would be thinking happened to Troi. Heck, even SHE was  
starting to believe it. It was -as crazy as it sounded- the most obvious  
thing. The light. The fire. Time frozen as a broken stopwatch.....  
Scully resisted the urge to let loose a bitter laugh. Perhaps it wasn't  
so amazing that she believed. Perhaps she had believed for a long time  
now.  
She walked toward him, suffering drawn to a common suffering like a  
magnet. Gently, Scully took his hands form his face, and looked into his  
hazel eyes. They looked dead. Empty. Scully felt tears pick her eyes  
again. [oh, mulder.] she thought [please don't do this. don't blame  
yourself] She pulled him in her arms, his head pillowing on her shoulder  
as he clung to her like a life-line.  
Outside in the still half light, the morning continued it's slow  
arrival, bathing the world in dimness.  
  
  
Out side Oakwood Campground  
5:34 am  
  
[Cold.  
So cold.  
Pain. Pain. Lots of pain. Too much.  
NO. Got to wake up. Wake up.]  
Troi fought against the darkness with all her might. Finally she could  
open her eyes. She looked down to find herself lying face down in the  
mud. She tried to move, but agonizing pain shot through her, stopping her  
attempt before she started.  
[where am i?]  
Troi let out a lonely, tiny, frightened cry, choked by mud and siliva.  
She tried to move again, and this time succeeded in rolling onto her  
back. Immediately, the world spun around her, spiraling in a dizzy  
circle.  
[what happened to me?]  
Slowly, the earth returned to it's normal equilibrium. Troi lay there in  
silence for a moment, taking tentative stock of her situation. She was  
cold and wet, and it seemed as thought there was not one place on her  
body that didn't hurt. She was still wearing the sweater and sweatpants  
she had on the night before.....or was it the night before. The world  
began to swim again, and Troi shut her eyes tightly, trying to remember.  
Nothing.  
Nothing but pain, and cold, and light.  
She drew in a shuddering breath and rolled, lifting herself shakily to  
her knees.   
Dana.   
Dana and Mulder.  
They would be worried. She had to get back to them. Looking around her,  
she discovered she was in a ditch. Sluggishly, she pulled herself out of  
the muddy trench, and pulled her slim body to her feet.  
A gravel road stretched out before her in two directions.  
A sinking feeling settled in her stomach. [oh, please god. don't let me  
be too far from them] she prayed silently, whimpering a little as she  
started off unsteadily down the road.  
  
  
Oakwood Campground  
6:04 am  
  
Scully sipped the bland coffee mechanically. She didn't really taste it,  
her senses nearly completely deadend as the morning stretched out into  
eternity.  
Eyes vacant, she stared out the window of the Forest Ranger's office.  
Suddenly, a movement up the road caught her eye. [what?] She moved closer  
to the window, watching closely as a approaching figure came into view.  
Hope sprang unbidden into her heart. The figure on the road weaved  
unsteadily, and dropped, then struggled back upright.  
Scully dropped her coffee cup, unheeding the ranger's startled yell,  
wordlessly sprinting toward the door.  
"Scully!" Mulder started after her. "Scully what is-" He suddenly  
stopped as he looked out the window. [oh...]  
Scully hit the exit running, sprinting off the deck as the old screen  
door banged shut behind her. The figure ahead of her looked up, and  
dropped to the ground again. Sure now, Scully doubled her speed, Mulder's  
footsteps now pounding behind her.  
Scully dropped to the ground next to Troi, flinging her arms around her  
and pulling her close, her breath ragged with joy. Mulder caught up with  
them, dropping to his knees as well, and embraced both of them.   
"Dana....Dana I was so scared..." Troi choked out in a faint voice,  
clinging to her foster parent weakly.   
"I know, I know, baby." Scully said, voice rough and cracked as she  
rocked Troi back and forth, tears of relief streaming down her face. She  
heard a small shuddery gasp behind her, and knew that Mulder was crying  
too. She leaned back into him, willing her support and strength to flow  
to him, and his to her.  
The ranger and 2 paramedics came pounding towards them, the ranger's  
homely face alight with joy. "Well, I'll be!" He said, taking off his hat  
and wiping his brow. "See, Ms. Scully ma'am. I told you she'd be  
alright."  
"Yes, thank you." Scully smiled up at the ranger, as she allowed the  
paramedics to take Troi from her arms. She and Mulder helped each other  
to stand, leaning against each other for support. "Thank you."  
  
  
  
The next day.....  
  
Mulder closed his eyes, listening to the hum of the car engine as Scully  
drove them back to DC. For once, Mulder had whole-heartedly turned down  
the opportunity to drive. He was too exhausted.  
And he needed to think.  
The paramedics had checked Troi out thoroughly, and had declared her to  
be in perfect heath, despite extreme exhaustion and metal trauma. They  
had released her from the tiny local hospital 3 hours later, and the  
three had spent the night in a little motel. The next day, they had all  
agreed to immediately return to DC.  
He didn't understand it. He thought he'd been sure what had happened to  
Troi, but now, his conviction was vailed with confusion. Why had she been  
released? It didn't make sense. Scully had been returned in a coma, near  
death. Troi came back to them on her own two feet. True, she had  
experienced time-loss, and had awakened in a unfamiliar place, but what  
did that mean?  
But that light....just like Samantha.....  
He shuddered, his eyes unconsciously turning to his comfort.  
Scully.  
Dana.  
His stomach twisted.  
He had been on the verge of revealing his feelings when *it* happened.  
Fox Mulder had never been one to put much stock in omens, but it was a  
bit too *coincidental* for his liking. He looked over at her, floundering  
in doubt. What if he was wrong for loving her? God knows he had brought  
such poison to her life. But she had become his addiction, something he  
couldn't give up, even if it was for the best.  
So he would continue on in this line-walking.  
After all, with nearly 6 years of experience, he had become good at it.   
  
  
A Unmarked Apartment Building  
Washington, DC  
  
The man stood by the window, looking out across the street at the FBI  
Headquarters that loomed nearby. Smoke from his cigarette curled around  
him as he exhaled.  
Another piece of business taken care of.  
He smiled to himself, please with how good he had become at adapting to  
"unplanned circumstances". This had been a VERY unplanned circumstance.  
After all, there were only a few of HER kind in the world today. Most  
were dismissed as lunatics, or their abilities were repressed by their  
own fears. He had never counted on Mulder and Scully meeting one.  
Much less that the girl would become family.  
But they had *taken care* of it. The girl was now a *test subject* for a  
new device.  
All test subjects so far had zero survival rate.  
It usually took awhile, -more time than the cancer even- but it would  
happen eventually.  
It was only a matter of time.  
Troi Anne Carter's days were numbered.   
  
  
  
Dana Scully's apartment  
Washington DC.  
12:15 p.m..  
  
Troi awoke suddenly to find herself in a cold sweat. Not a unusual  
occurrence for her, but she was surprised to realize she had not awoken  
because of a dream.  
Not a dream, but her head was pounding.....  
She stumbled out of bed, and made her way to the bathroom, shuddering as  
she hit the light switch, and the brightness hit her eyes.  
[this headache's a whopper,] she thought, shakily taking a Advil,  
tossing it down her throat with a glass of water.  
She stumbled back to bed, and laid down, hoping she could get back to  
sleep, in spite of the splitting headache.  
But just as she lay down, the pain was suddenly gone.  
She smiled, [the wonders of modern medicine]  
But somewhere deep within her, a small knot of fear set in.  
  
  
  
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------------------ T H E E N D ---------------------  
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Yep! That's it! Liked it?? Hated it?? Please tell me what you think!!!   
I'm not afraid of fire. [don't like it, but I'm not afraid of it] It will  
be used to toast my sourdough bread.  
  
Check out more of Troi Anne Carter in the up-and-coming ACCUMULATION  
SERIES by Alien Girl and yours truly.  
  
Oh, and I am leaving Troi's *problem* open for possible later  
developments.  
Sorry if you don't like that kind of thing.  
  
WRITE ME PLEASE!!!  
DrScully@imneverwrong.com 


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